LEADERSHIP REDEFINED: A COMPETENCY-BASED GUIDE TO TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP

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The way we look at leadership has changed dramatically over the years. Today, we don’t define a leader in terms of discipline, force, and power, but in terms of his or her ability to question the status quo, inspire loyalty, and materialize a powerful and transformative vision for the organization and the broader business context in which it operates.

But how do we create a framework for evaluating this new leadership formula, which is based as much on qualities such as charisma, creativity, and integrity as it is on hard skills and proven experience?

What defines transformational leadership?The concept of transformational leadership recognizes that an organization can’t achieve greatness unless every member of that organization is inspired by a common vision and empowered to excel. A leader’s role is to shape and communicate that vision and support employees in reaching their full potential.

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERS ARE:

Inspired by potential. The difference between those who manage and those who inspire is the ability to show employees their true potential and support them in achieving it. Leaders who promote confidence and optimism encourage employees to go beyond expectations and to work together to achieve organizational goals.

Energized by challenges. Leaders who encourage new perspectives and foster an organizational culture where intellectual curiosity, openness, and creativity are encouraged and rewarded are better equipped to embrace change, seize opportunity, and find creative solutions that elevate the organization above the competition.

Driven by values. Leaders who act with integrity and put the best interests of the organization and the wider community ahead of short-term gains create sustainable success, elicit loyalty from employees, and build trust with the wider world. By modeling honesty, transparency, and humility, they raise the integrity of the entire organization.

Focused on people. When leaders are able to make personal and emotional connections with others—whether with employees, stakeholders, or the general public—they contribute to the strength and resilience of the organization and the broader community in which the organization operates. They create a healthy, diverse organizational culture in which different perspectives and experiences thrive, and foster increased commitment from employees.

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How do we recognize, predict, and nurture transformational leadership?A leader’s soft skills—their ability to energize and inspire those around them—are an integral part of their value to the organization. A great leader acts as both a catalyst and a compass, igniting transformative performance across the organization and ensuring that everyone sees the way forward.

Identifying the people who possess those vital qualities and nurturing their unique potential is essential to sustainable success for the organization. But how do you measure things like inspiration, vision, and compassion?

Based on decades of research and a proven approach, HRSG’s leadership competencies give you the tools you need to translate these qualities into observable and measurable behaviors, bringing increased consistency, clarity, and rigor to the process of identifying and nurturing leaders. In simple terms, competencies define the behaviors required to achieve success in a specific role. When applied to the leadership role, they help to define the ideal behaviors, identify areas for further development, and help leaders see the path to optimal performance.

Competency-based management for leaders offers a blueprint for success that anyone can see and understand—including those tasked with identifying the leaders of tomorrow and those to be be groomed for leadership roles.

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A competency framework for transformational leadershipHRSG’s competency framework incorporates three categories of competencies to create a multidimensional profile that captures a range of elements that define effective, transformational leadership:

Transformational leadership competencies – Grounded in the research on transformational leadership, this cluster of competencies focuses on a leader’s role in influencing and inspiring others to achieve a common goal and drive towards a collective vision.

Business competencies – In addition to inspiring and motivating those around them, an effective leader must demonstrate a high level of business acumen in areas such as business processes, financial skills, people management, and strategy. This cluster of competencies defines those business-focused proficiencies.

Personal competencies – Personal attributes such as resilience and self-awareness are an integral part of workplace success for individuals in any role, and that includes those at the leadership level. This cluster of competencies identifies those personal behaviors on which successful job performance relies.

By building a leadership profile that includes competencies from each cluster, you can develop a more complete picture of your organization’s ideal leader.

We don’t know how we existed before we had HRSG’s competencies. We couldn’t go ahead with succession planning or other programs because we didn’t have competencies. We have to have good people, and to choose the best people for strategic initiatives, we need to have competencies.

- Karen Cowrie, HR Officer – Planning, Training & Development – Phoenix Park Liquid Gas Processors

8 Leadership competencies

Behaviors that inspire the organization and delineate

a clear path forward.

6 Business competenciesBehaviors that

demonstrate business acumen and strategic

understanding.

6 Personal competenciesBehaviors that

consistently ensure successful performance

at any level.

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3 best practices for effective competency-based leadership management• Take a holistic view of leadership. There are three key facets that modern organizations

look for in a great leader: how they impact others, how they achieve business results, and their underlying personal attributes. Using competencies that capture the essence of these elements in behavioral terms creates an integrated, well-rounded framework that captures a more complete and identifiable profile for future leaders.

• Tailor your approach. While great leaders may share many of the same traits, leadership is never “one size fits all.” It’s critical to align your leadership profile to your business strategy. To resonate with employees and be a valuable people management tool, the competencies must speak your business language and drive your organizational goals. This is important when selecting competencies for any job at any level, but it’s particularly important when defining the leadership roles that may be responsible for setting the organizational direction three, five, and even 10 years into the future. Use a framework that gives you the flexibility to select and adapt competency content according to your unique needs and business realities.

• Own the development process. The most effective competencies are those that are reviewed periodically to ensure they evolve in sync with changing business needs. Ideally, your HR professionals have the internal capacity to update and validate competency profiles to meet changing needs over time. Leveraging web-based tools like HRSG’s CompetencyCore Profile Builder makes this task faster and easier, and provides an automated best-practice process for selecting and validating competencies within your organization.

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Discover and develop the leaders who will transform your organizationIf you’re tasked with identifying and nurturing transformative leadership talent within your organization, HRSG can help you develop the competency tools and processes you need to succeed.

Using a combination of world-leading leadership competencies, software for selecting and validating your leadership profiles, and step-by-step guidance from an HRSG competency specialist, we’ll ensure you develop a powerful blueprint for transformative leadership.

Leadership competency contentChoose from our selection of world-leading leadership competencies to identify the unique strengths your organization needs from its leaders. Each multi-level competency includes up to five progressive levels of proficiency to provide greater precision and facilitate talent development.

Transformational Leadership Competencies

Business Competencies Personal Competencies

• Exemplifying Integrity

• Ensuring Accountability

• Inspiring Others

• Leading Change

• Nurturing Innovation

• Fostering Learning and Development

• Acting with Empathy and Compassion

• Embracing Diversity

• Bridging Cultures

• Improving Business Processes

• Managing Resource

• Planning and Organizing

• Using Financials

• Visioning and Alignment

• Decision Making

• Emotional Intelligence

• Fostering Communication

• Organizational Savvy

• Resilience

• Thinking Strategically

Learn more about HRSG’s Leadership Competencies. Download the full list here.

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Leadership profile developmentTo accurately reflect your organizational goals and culture, leadership competencies need to be internally validated. HRSG’s web-based Profile Builder provides an automated, streamlined process for selecting, shortlisting, and validating the competencies for a specific leadership role. The software guides participants through a best-practice process from end to end, resulting in a custom leadership profile that can be used to identify, assess, and nurture leadership talent according to your organization’s unique needs.

Throughout the profile-building process, you’ll work directly with a competency specialist who provides step-by-step guidance and helps you build the capacity you need to manage your leadership profiles over the long term.

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For more than 25 years…

Organizational excellence through competency-based talent management HRSG provides cutting-edge software and professional services. Since 1989, we have worked with a range of industries to define talent needs, address skill deficiencies, and improve individual and organizational performance. We are a recognized leader in the field of competency-based talent management, and our flagship software, CompetencyCore™, is used by organizations around the world, to integrate competencies across the talent management lifecycle. For more information, please visit www.hrsg.ca.

Leadership assessmentsDo you need to identify and groom the next generation of leaders for your organization? HRSG’s automated competency assessments help you find a pool of potential candidates within your organization whose competencies match your leadership requirements. You can also use automated assessments to determine strengths and weaknesses of your leadership pool and build targeted development plans to address any deficiencies.

For a closer look at HRSG’s leadership competencies, and to discuss your leadership competency project, please call 1-866-574-7041 or email info@hrsg.ca.